According to a report by the National Golf Foundation in 2009, there are 28.6 million golfers in the United States. An overwhelming majority of these golfers do not understand the basic concept of correct club to ball impact. This causes them to incorrectly hit shots. Mishit shots include both fat and thin shots. A fat shot occurs when the golf club strikes the ground prior to striking the golf ball. A fat shot greatly reduces the speed of the club, which reduces the speed of the ball and in turn decreases the distance the ball will travel. A thin shot occurs when the leading edge of the golf club strikes the ball at or near its equator, resulting in an uncontrollable line drive. Both fat and thin shots are caused by improper ball impact meaning the bottom of the swing arc is located incorrectly in relation to the golf ball. Mishit shots also include those shots where the toe or heel of the golf club, rather than the center of the golf club face, impacts the ball. These shots are caused by improper positioning of the club relative to the ball at impact.
Club to ball impact also determines the ball trajectory or type of shot that results. Many golfers struggle to hit straight shots and often experience shots that slice or hook. For a right handed golfer, a slice is a shot that curves to the right while a hook is a shot that curves to the left. Different factors contribute to slices and hooks but the primary factor is the angle of the club face relative to the club path at the point of impact. If the club face is square to the club path, the ball will generally fly straight whereas a club face that is open relative to the club path, inclined to the right, results in a slice and a club face that is closed relative to the path, inclined to the left, results in a hook.
While the terms slice and hook are commonly used to describe errant or misdirected shots, the terms fade and draw are used to describe less severe slices and hooks. A fade is a less severe version of a slice, and a draw is a less severe version of a hook. Similar to a slice, a fade curves to the right for a right handed player and like a hook, a draw curves to the left. Any of these shots may be played intentionally to negotiate obstacles or curves in the line of play.
The priority for every player should be correct solid ball impact. Most players do not understand what should happen between the club and ball at impact, so they never work on it. They waste time practicing things that they have read, or heard, that have little or no bearing on how well they play. If the player does not understand the details of how the club should impact the ball the other little details simply will not matter. Most players are worried about the details of swing positions and ignore the foundation of a correct impact between club and ball. Understanding and learning how to create proper ball impact will improve a player's golf game. Ultimately it is proper impact that produces good shots. Only once a player understands the fundamentals of proper ball impact can he/she then fine tune the details in order to consistently create proper ball impact.
Proper ball impact for most shots means striking the ball on the down stroke before the club reaches the bottom of the swing arc. In other words, the club head is still descending when the ball is struck and any divot or ground contact happens in front (on the target side) of the ball. Hitting the ball prior to arriving at the lowest point of the swing arc results in more consistent contact, lower and more penetrating ball flight, increased ball compression, and higher ball speed, which all lead to increased distance. Understanding and creating proper ball impact produces better shots by eliminating mishit shots, such as fat and thin shots.
There are opposing views on whether some shots, such as drives and putts, should be struck on the downswing, upswing, or level part of the arc, but for most shots downswing impact is preferred. For example, computer data shows that the average PGA Tour player strikes down 1.3 degrees with his driver while the average LPGA Tour player strikes up 3.0 degrees with her driver. On average, when playing shots from turf, PGA Tour players create a bottom of the swing that is 3″-4″ in front of the golf ball.
It would be beneficial to have an inexpensive device that helps players understand and achieve proper ball impact.